Justice League: Fallout
by GoddessofDawn7843
Summary: (AU/Trinity-Centered) "What was worse for you, Bruce, the bomb or the fallout? Personally, for me, it was that moment right before everything went straight to hell and I realized that nothing was ever going to be the same again." – Clark Kent


**A/N:** I got this idea after watching the animated flick _Batman: The Dark Knight Returns_ parts 1 and 2 – it was such a sad, slightly disturbing movie, but, still, it did get my creative juices flowing, also, there are some elements of the storyline from the game _Injustice: Gods Among Us_ and the original _Superman_ movies with Christopher Reeve (God bless and RIP).

Since this _**is**_ AU, there will be several things that might upset the true, diehard fanboys who might read this – get over it (I am of course talking directly to said fanboys)… but, with that said, for the most part just roll with it.

**Disclaimer:** I in no way take credit for the existence of the awesome that is the _Justice League_

* * *

**Justice League: Fallout**

* * *

**Definition of 'Fallout':  
**1.) Radioactive particles that are carried into the atmosphere after a nuclear explosion and gradually fall back as dust or in precipitation,  
2.) The adverse results of a situation or action.

* * *

**~One~**

* * *

"_Lift me up on my honour/Take me over this spell –  
Get this weight off my shoulders/I've carried it well.  
Loose these shackles of pressure/Shake me out of these chains,  
Lead me not into temptations/ Hold my hand harder…  
Ease my mind/Roll down the smoke screen,  
And open the sky…"  
- __**Sweet Talk, **_The Killers

* * *

"_**This is Marcy Jones, reporting to you live from Metropolis as thousands of inhabitants and traveler from all over the country and even the world have flocked to the city's central park to participate in the fifth annual memorial ceremony due to happen in a few minutes' time.**_

"_**Like most of you at home watching would know, the point of the ceremony is to remember the earth-shattering events that had happened five years ago, when the city itself had become a battleground between the members of the now disbanded Justice League and the villain group called the 'Legion of Doom'. **_

"_**More than quarter of a million civilians lost their lives when a small nuclear bomb, planted by none other than the Joker from Gotham, went off in the heart of the city-"**_

"Geez, we know already," a loud, gruff voice said from the counter, disrupting the quite that had enveloped the small diner. Sitting back, he lit up a cigarette and scoffed loudly. "Can't they just skip this and get to the end already?"

Looking away from the television set that stood in the corner, Diana Prince's blue eyes narrowed at the man's lack of tact but didn't say a word in case she drew any attention to herself and sipped at her cup of coffee at her seat at the window.

"Hey, would a little respect kill you?" one of the waitresses snapped irritably.

"_**The City's mayor has finally arrived."**_

"So what?" the man said, sounding bored, "he's just gonna give the same ol' speech he did last year."

"Buddy, just do us all a favor and shut-up," another voice said angrily.

"_**As always, a moment of silence falls over the crowd as almost every pair of eyes turns up and looks to the clear blue sky hopefully – hoping to catch a glimpse of red or blue no doubt… the question on everyone's minds; could this year be different…?"**_

For a moment, the same kind of silence fell over the diner… until the news reported spoke again.

"…_**Apparently, it isn't."**_

But, then, faintly in the background, _**"-Hey, Mom – what's that?"**_

There was a mutual intake of breaths all around the diner – the waitress poured coffee all over the counter instead of in the cup, and even the rude man from earlier had nothing to say. Diana felt tense – she knew better than to get her hopes up, but at the same time, could it be…?

The camera turned to the sky again, and sure enough there was something there… only, it was a jet plane.

The man snorted loudly, breaking the disappointed silence. "Of course it wasn't him. What were you expecting?"

At this point, the waitress lost her temper. "You should leave now."

The man sneered at her before standing up. "Fine, see if I care." He said, taking his jacket with him and walked out.

Unfortunately, for him, he failed to look both ways when he crossed the road, and before he knew it, there was a loud screech of tires and the frantic sound of a horn.

He turned just in time to see the incoming car, but, closing his eyes, anticipating its impact, only… it never came.

People all around the street stopped and stared and gasped, and when he opened his eyes, he was struck dumb when he saw the front of the car being held in place.

Stepping back, Diana let go of it, leaving behind a distinctive woman-shaped dent as she did before turning to him. "I suggest next time you look both ways before crossing the street."

The man only stared at her dumbly. "Y-yeah… I'll do that."

She nodded briskly before noticing just how much attention she had drawn to herself and sighed. Without another word, and a small apologetic smile to the stunned driver, she flew away.

* * *

**Meanwhile…  
**_Gotham City_

* * *

Sixteen-year-old Damien Wayne looked around his childhood room with a sense of reminiscence and indifference. It was odd seeing it so empty now, but at the same time he was… relieved he would be leaving all the same.

When he heard a knock on the door, the teenager turned his head to see Dick standing at the door.

"You ready?" he asked lowly.

Nodding, Damien collected the duffle bag by his feet and hauled it over his shoulder. "As ready as I'll ever be."

The older man regarded him carefully for a moment. "…And, you're sure you don't want to say goodbye?"

Dark blue eyes met lighter ones and Damien sneered. "Why bother? It's not like he's going to notice I'm gone."

Dick frowned, eyebrows knitting together. "You don't know that."

"We've been through this before, Grayson."

"I know we have."

Damien raised an eyebrow. "You're not going back on your word, are you?"

"Not my style, it's just… this whole situation, it doesn't sit right with me."

Damien shrugged before sweeping past Dick. "If you want to say goodbye to him, Dick, do it. But I've been stuck in this mausoleum for too long – he can have every last inch of it for all I care."

Dick could only watch as his youngest brother walk down the empty hall, his footsteps echoing as he didn't bother to stop and look back. He suppose he couldn't blame the kid, of course, personally if it was him, Dick would have left even sooner – these days, the place was just… empty, with no Alfred, no Tim, no Cassandra and no Stephanie, Wayne Manor seemed to be without a soul. Now, there was no Damien either.

Dick sighed and ran his fingers through his hair before turning to walk in the opposite direction, towards the master bedroom. God, he hated doing the right thing sometimes and despite himself, that all-too familiar sense of pity welled up in the base of his stomach when he reached up and knocked.

He didn't expect a reply, so he went inside nonetheless. But, the moment he stepped through, however, the scent of bourbon hit him like a brick wall and he had to stop himself from pinching his nose and retching.

He found Bruce sitting in his usual leather armchair in front of the fireplace, nursing a glass of brandy as he stared into the flames. Dick knew that he knew he was there but for the most part didn't bother acknowledging him.

"Bruce, we're going now," he said, waiting a few moments but not getting a reaction. "Bruce, did you hear me?"

There was still no response.

Dick's jaw clenched. "Could at least see us off or something? Damien's pretty eager to get going." His frown then deepened and he fidgeted. "Can you just say something already? I feel like I'm talking to myself here."

Then, eventually, "He doesn't need me, Dick."

He almost laughed out of relief. "He speaks," he said wryly before frowning again. "And you're wrong about that."

Bruce took a long draught of his drink before thickly stating, "I'm not."

"You're his dad," Dick said firmly, starting to get angry.

"I haven't been his father in years… I doubt I've ever been. He'll be fine on his own."

"He's sixteen! He's not supposed to be living on his own on the other side of the city!" Dick finally burst out, exasperated. "Bruce, for god's sake… look, I get that today's not a good day for you, but c'mon!"

"You don't know anything about today-" Bruce said, his voice now sharp but bitter.

Dick's shoulders slumped. "That's not true, Bruce. I might not have been in Metropolis five years ago, but I'm not stupid and I'm not blind either. For once, stop being so damn stubborn and just talk to me – hell, talk to _anybody_ about what's going on in your head, what you're thinking right now."

Bruce fell silent again, and unnoticed by Dick he balled his fist on the armrest.

Dick let out a weary sigh. "…You're a real bastard sometimes." he said in a final sort of way. "Do you know Tim and Steph got married last weekend? I know they sent you an invitation. Everyone was there – even _Jason_ showed up, can you believe that?"

Dick's temper almost got the better of him again when Bruce seemed to play deaf again.

"…Do you even care?" he asked through gritted teeth.

When he still got nothing, Dick finally gave up.

"You know what? Whatever, be like this. I guess this is what I get – if _Alfred_ couldn't get you out of this, what chance did I have, right?"

But, just as Dick was about to turn and walk out, Bruce spoke up.

"Dick… I'm sorry."

"I don't know exactly what's going on in your life right now, Bruce, but whatever it is I don't think I'm the one you should be apologizing to." He said and paused, softening his voice slightly. "…You know where to find us if you need anything."

And with that, he left.

* * *

**Elsewhere…  
**_Smallville County Hospital_

* * *

It was rather sad to say that Diana knew the insides of the hospital rather well at that stage, considering that she made a point to visit quite often, nobody paid her a second glance, and despite the brightly painted corridors (an attempt to bring some cheer into the building), it did nothing to quell that dull pang at the bottom of her stomach she felt whenever she approached the door at the end.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked before entering.

"Clark…?"

Sure enough, when she went inside, she found Clark sitting next to the occupied hospital bed, looking like he hadn't moved an inch since the last time Diana saw him. That and he needed a shave.

Without saying a word, Diana walked around the bed and gently laid a hand on his shoulders. For a few moments he didn't react to it until, finally, he stirred, sitting up in his chair and rubbed his eyes with his palms.

"Hello, Diana," he said, looking up and smiling weakly at her.

Diana frowned slightly when she saw the darker patches underneath his eyes but decided not to comment on it, not today, at least. She then instead turned her gaze onto the woman lying in the bed, seemingly asleep. Clark was holding her hand.

Lois.

"How is she?" Diana asked.

Clark sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "The same as yesterday… and the day before that." He said.

"And, how are you?" she asked, concerned.

"I'm fine, I'm just… thinking."

"Oh, about what?" Diana inquired.

"Today, one of the doctor suggested I should try… talking to her, like you would talk to a normal person."

"…Will that work?"

Clark shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't tried it yet."

"What do you have to lose?" Diana encouraged.

"I… I wouldn't know what to talk about. There's a lot I want to say, but…" he trailed off.

"You don't know how to say it…?" She finished.

Clark nodded and smiled sadly. "It's not like she can say anything back to me."

The dull pang turned into a stab to Diana's heart and her eyebrows knitted together. "Kal…"

"Sorry," he apologized. "Today's just been one of those days."

"You've been here all day again, haven't you?"

"The farm's been quiet. There's not much to do." He said noncommittally.

"Why don't we get something to eat then? There's a café just across the street, you could use some fresh air." She suggested.

"I'm not hungry."

Diana frowned. "Are you sure?"

"You're not my nursemaid, Diana."

Diana sighed. "No, I'm not, I'm your friend."

"Exactly," Clark said, "Then as my friend trust me when I say I'm fine."

She didn't believe him, but when Clark sat back in his chair – his hand still in his wife's – he slowly turned back into the unresponsive statue Diana had walked in on.

Sighing softly, Diana then pulled up a chair that stood against the wall and sat down next to him.

* * *

**Thousands of Miles Away…**

* * *

The snow storm had come up quite suddenly – the sky was dark, the temperature below glacial and it was damn-near impossible for a man to see more than a foot in front or around himself thanks to all the snow.

Since they were not men, they didn't have this problem – the cold didn't slow them down, the dark didn't keep them from seeing, and they knew exactly where they wanted to be.

Smiling, the leader of the trio walked up to a gigantic door against the side of what looked like a mountain made solely out of shimmering white crystals. In front of it, on a golden stand, was a large golden key of sorts.

He ignored the key and simply turned his head towards the larger of his companions.

"Open it," he ordered in a drawl, gesturing with a lazy sweep of his hand.

The sound was like two large stones being crushed together as his larger companion cracked his knuckles and walked towards the door.

* * *

**Back in Smallville… **

* * *

It was nearing midnight and Diana had gone out to buy coffee. Now alone, Clark let out a small sigh before smiling ironically to himself.

"What do I have to lose?" he asked, echoing Diana's words earlier.

Shifting his chair a little, he sat closer to the bed, wondering for a moment until he thought of something to talk about.

"…One of the cows on the farm had a calf yesterday," he began, his eyes softening a little when he squeezed Lois's hand. "Do you remember Delilah? That old heifer you said didn't like you so much? It was hers – it wasn't easy birth, and I didn't think he was going to survive it, I couldn't believe it when I saw the little guy this morning before I came here and he was running around the fields like he didn't have a care in the world. He's smaller than he should be, but strong, and fast – I'm thinking of calling him Roadrunner."

Clark chuckled a little before shaking his head.

"The _Planet_'s doing fine last time I talked to Jimmy – apparently, there's this new girl there. I think I'll bring over tomorrow's paper and read you one of her articles; she isn't nearly as good as you were, but her stories aren't half bad, I think you'd like them."

With that hanging in the air for a few moments, his smile faded a little.

"Have I ever told you I hate hospitals? It isn't for the usual reasons people give if you ask them the same thing – it isn't the smell or the white everywhere or even the sick people," he said, eyebrows furrowing together. "It's the waiting. I don't know if you know this, but waiting in a place like this… it's like… going insane, slowly."

As Clark sat back a little in his seat, he failed to notice the slight elevation on the heart-rate monitor besides the bed.

"…You keep expecting something to happen, you're trapped in this state of mind where you're in constant suspense and… the people here, the doctors, the nurses, they all say the same things, that there's no change… basically, that there's no hope…

"I can't tell you how many times I've come close to losing my mind, but, you know what?" he said, his grip around her hand firm, "I haven't given up. I'll keep waiting for as long as it takes. I still have hope."

Clark didn't notice his eyes were slowly starting to tear up until he felt a slight prickle. He shook his head, but when he was about to reach up and wipe his eyes, before he could pull his hand out of Lois's, he felt it.

Every muscle in his body froze.

He felt it again. It was barely a twitch, but it left him breathless all the same.

Clark couldn't believe it.

"L… Lois?"

Exactly two things happened next, the first was that Diana had returned with coffee, and as she walked into the room, Clark's sensitive hearing picked up something else, an alarm.

Closing the door behind her, when she saw his face, Diana stopped walking. "Clark…?"

"The Fortress…" he said mostly to himself before looking directly at Diana. Her eyes widened as she stared at him. "Something's happening."

"Are you sure?" she asked carefully.

He nodded. "Something tripped the alarm, I… I need to check it out." Clark said and stood up. He then looked at Lois and, for a moment, hesitance and something else flickered over his face. He then looked up at the heart-rate monitor, and his eyebrows knitted together when he saw the slight, almost unnoticeable rise in her vitals.

Diana walked over to him. "I'll look after her."

Clark still seemed somewhat reluctant, but with a nod, he kissed Lois on the forehead and, in a blink of an eye, he sped out of the room.

* * *

"_Every little bit goes a little of a long way -  
Life gets hard and I'm heading for the highway home (home…).  
Caught up in the middle of the headache and the heartbreak,  
Just when I thought I was clear of the mistakes,  
No, no, oh, oh…"  
_- _**Working Man**_, Imagine Dragons

* * *

A/N: I know things are pretty confusing now, but I have this image in my head and an ending I'm going to be working towards, so here's to hoping things will go well for me! Also, about the giant key I mentioned, I saw on the Animated TV series Batman: The Brave and the Bold, that Superman used like this big-ass key to open the Fortress (it's a little retro, I know, but I liked it so I'm keeping that)

Until next time,  
GoddessofDawn out


End file.
